Chances Are

by Abramson, Traci Hunter

  When Maya looked around confused, the receptionist said, “Your husband said he’d be right back. I think he went into the hall to make a phone call.”

  Maya looked at her wide-eyed. “How did you know he was my husband?”

  “He told Dr. Schuster.” She gave Maya a warm smile. “Don’t worry. Even if I wanted to tell someone who you married, the privacy laws wouldn’t allow it. No one knows except for the doctor and me.”

  Maya let out a relieved sigh. Then the door opened, and Ben walked in. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s go, then.” Ben raised a hand and said, “See you later, Angela.”

  Angela grinned at him. “Bye, Ben.”

  Maya’s lips curved up at the way Ben called Angela by name, clearly making her day. “Do you always do that?”

  “What?”

  “Make it a point of getting to know the names of people you come in contact with.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Angela, Henry, the people working at the restaurant we went to last week. You call them all by name.”

  “My dad always told me that if you treat people with respect, you’ll never forget that in the big scheme of things, we’re all equal,” Ben told her.

  “Your father is a very smart man.”

  “He has his moments,” Ben agreed and escorted her outside. Instead of heading for his car though, he stopped where a car was parked at the curb. A uniformed driver saw them coming and opened the back door.

  “What’s this?”

  “A little surprise.”

  Confused, she let him take her hand and help her into the car. He then circled to the other side and climbed in beside her.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.” He settled back beside her.

  Maya watched as the driver pulled onto the road. They passed through the Foggy Bottom area, and then a few minutes later, she saw the ellipse in front of the White House.

  “Oh, wow. That’s even more beautiful than in the pictures.”

  “I thought it was about time you saw everything since you live here now.”

  “How did you arrange this so quickly?” Maya asked in amazement. “You only found out I hadn’t seen all of this half an hour ago.”

  “I can’t give away all of my secrets.”

  She looked up to see the Washington Monument towering over them a short distance away. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

  Ben gave her a satisfied smile. “You’re welcome.”

  * * *

  Ben had called for a car and driver on a whim, but he hadn’t expected to enjoy himself so much. Showing Maya the sights and seeing everything as though for the first time helped remind him that he had been new here only seven months ago. In fact, he had been called up to the big leagues about the same time Maya had found out she had cancer. Talk about life changing quickly for both of them.

  They drove around the Capitol and then down along Independence Avenue, past the Washington Monument and the World War II Monument again. When they neared the Lincoln Memorial, Ben tapped the driver on the shoulder. “Can you pull up there so I can take her inside the Lincoln?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Maya looked up at the four flights of steps and said, “Ben, I don’t think I can do that many stairs.”

  “Don’t worry. There’s an elevator.”

  Ben climbed out of the car. When he went to help Maya out, he sensed her reluctance. He took her hand and started up the sidewalk, pleased that the crowds weren’t too bad today.

  They started down the curved sidewalk leading toward the stairs. Ben felt her steps slowing and realized she probably didn’t have the strength to make it all the way to the elevator.

  He noticed a man a short distance away with his little girl clinging to his back. Deciding that looked like as good a solution as any, he stopped and leaned down. “Here. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

  “I’m okay.”

  Ben cocked an eyebrow and looked at her.

  “I’ll feel silly.”

  “So feel silly. Come on. You’ve got to see inside. It’s one of my favorite places in DC.”

  She shook her head, but she complied, shifting behind him so he could boost her onto his back.

  A giggle escaped her when she went a little too high and had to cling to his neck in an effort to keep from flying off of him.

  The delightful sound of her laughter surprised him. Ben turned his head so he could see her face and said, “You should do that more often.”

  “Do what?”

  “Laugh.”

  Maya rolled her eyes. “I feel ridiculous.”

  “Good.” Ben decided in that instant that going upstairs in the elevator was way too simple. Instead, he veered toward the stairs and started up them at an easy jog.

  “I thought you said there was an elevator.”

  “You don’t need an elevator. You’ve got me.” Ben slowed to a walk after the first set of steps and steadily made his way to the top. Then he turned so they were facing the other monuments, the reflecting pool in front of them mirroring the Washington Monument, and the piercing blue sky.

  “Wow.” Maya breathed the word in amazement.

  “Pretty cool, huh?” Ben stood there for a moment, enjoying the view. Then he turned and took her inside to meet Honest Abe.

  Chapter 25

  Ben walked out of the weight room and rubbed a sweat towel over his brow. So far, he was pleased with how his workout schedule had fallen together in the off-season. He finished his first workout of the day before Maya was even ready to go each morning, and he usually headed down for his afternoon workouts when she took her naps after lunch. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, he still went over to Nationals Park to work out in the mornings, and he had fallen into the habit of hanging out with Maya while she got her infusions on Mondays and Thursdays.

  He had to admit that he was surprised he hadn’t started feeling trapped with Maya living with him. Her rather in-depth knowledge of baseball had helped open a lot more topics of conversation between them, and he found himself looking forward to hanging out with her each evening.

  Of course, he made a point to leave space between them whenever they settled down on the couch together. The memory of that brief kiss the day they got married often haunted him, and he found she was becoming a little too tempting. He didn’t want to spoil the easy friendship they were developing.

  Ben also had a new sense of admiration for her after seeing her go through her infusions. He could almost see the way the drugs drained her of her energy during the process, but she always tried to stay upbeat, and she never complained.

  Tossing his towel around the back of his neck, he headed for the elevator. When his phone rang and he saw that his mother was calling, he changed direction and headed for the stairs. Inevitably, his cell phone dropped calls the minute the elevator doors closed. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hey there. I haven’t talked to you in a while and wanted to see how things are going. Are you bored with life in DC yet?”

  He thought of the cold marriage ceremony, instantly uneasy. He pushed that memory aside and focused on his outing with Maya to the monuments and their subsequent visits over the past two weeks to the various museums within the Smithsonian. “Actually, it’s been pretty nice. I’ve been able to explore more of the city than when I was trying to squeeze everything in in between games.”

  “That’s good that you’re getting out and about,” she said. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, when are you flying home for Thanksgiving?”

  “Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes, you know that holiday that falls on the fourth Thursday in November?”

  “Is that next week?”

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t even bought your ticket yet.”

  Ben thought about his normal routine of going home for the holiday and then wondered what to do about Maya. He had gotten used to being with her. “When’s Kari coming home?”
>
  “She isn’t. She’s going to her boyfriend’s house for the holiday, and Danielle is going to her in-laws, so it will just be the three of us.”

  Ben wondered what Maya would do if he left her home alone, and he found himself uncomfortable with the image. He was equally leery of the idea of taking her home with him when Kari wasn’t going to be there. His parents would ask too many questions. “Sorry, Mom, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it home this year.”

  “What?” Disappointment hung on the single word. “Why not?”

  Ben’s mind started racing as he searched for a plausible excuse. He didn’t want to lie outright to his mother, so he twisted the truth to his advantage. “Actually, I’ve been going out with someone here. I was planning on spending the holiday with her.”

  “You didn’t tell me you have a new girlfriend.”

  “Things have been pretty crazy here for the last couple of weeks.” He reached his floor and walked down the hall to his apartment.

  Apparently resigned to Ben’s decision, his mother said, “Well, tell me about the new girl. What’s her name? Where did you meet her?”

  “She lives in my building,” he told her, deliberately not giving her a name. From what he understood, Kari and Maya had been practically inseparable since their senior year of high school. Maya’s name was unique enough that his mother might very well put two and two together. Recognizing that his mother’s inquisition wouldn’t stop at two questions, he walked into his place and said, “I’m sorry, Mom, but I’ve got a meeting I have to get to. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Ben said his good-byes and noticed Maya staring at him when he hung up the phone. “What meeting do you have to get to?”

  “I’m meeting with you, actually.”

  “Okaaay . . .” She drew the word out, clearly waiting for an explanation.

  “That was my mom. She was starting to ask questions about my new girlfriend that I didn’t want to answer.”

  Maya took a step back, and hurt filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were dating someone. I shouldn’t have been dominating so much of your time lately.”

  “Maya, I was talking about you. And I didn’t say you were my girlfriend to my mom. I just said I’d been going out with someone here.”

  “Oh.” Maya seemed to process what he had told her. “Obviously, your parents don’t know what’s really going on, then.”

  “No, I’m not seeing them being really thrilled about our little marriage of convenience.”

  She was quiet for a moment and then said, “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “My mom did bring up a good point though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Thanksgiving is next week. We should decide where we want to go out to eat and make reservations.”

  “I thought you would go home for the holiday.”

  He shook his head. “Neither of my sisters will be there, so I thought I’d stay here with you.”

  A smile slowly spread across her face. “In that case, have you ever thought of making your own Thanksgiving dinner?”

  He gave her a wry look. “I think that’s probably beyond my capability.”

  “The turkey is easy. If you don’t mind helping me, we can do dinner here.”

  Ben weighed the pros and cons of helping in the kitchen with spending the holiday in a restaurant with a bunch of strangers. Then he thought of the football game he wanted to watch that day. “I’d be willing to help cook.”

  “Great. I bet you’ll be surprised at how easy it is.”

  * * *

  Ben opened his apartment door, curious about who could possibly be at his door at two o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon. His jaw dropped when he discovered his answer.

  “Surprise!” Jane Evans said, rushing forward to hug her only son. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy knot at the base of her neck, and Ben could smell the lingering scent of vanilla from her shampoo.

  He automatically embraced his mother and then stepped back to look at his parents, still stunned. “Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?”

  “We missed you and decided it was time for a visit.” She breezed past him into the apartment, leaving the bags behind her.

  Ben watched helplessly, then turned to his father. If it hadn’t been for the gray peppering in Steve’s dark hair and the laugh lines that came with age, most people would have had trouble telling Ben and him apart. Steve gave Ben a hug and then picked up their bags.

  “Here. Let me help with those.” Ben took one of the suitcases from his father and followed his mother into the living room.

  Then he heard the surprise in his mother’s voice when she said, “Oh, hello.”

  Ben stepped into the living room and saw the look of confusion on his mother’s face and the look of panic on Maya’s. He bit back a sigh. It looked like his little secret was about to become a lot less secret.

  “Mom and Dad, you remember Maya, don’t you? She came home with Kari for Christmas last year.”

  “Of course. We know Maya well. She used to come to our house all the time during Kari’s senior year of high school.” With confusion still evident on her face, Jane looked from Ben to Maya and said, “I didn’t realize you were here in DC. Are you staying for long?”

  Maya looked at Ben, clearly at a loss of what to say.

  Ben stepped in and hoped to soften the truth. “Actually, Maya is living here in DC now.”

  “Oh, well, that’s nice.”

  Steve shifted past them and offered to take the suitcase Ben still held. “I can take these into the guest room.”

  “Actually, why don’t you go ahead and put those in my room.”

  “Why?”

  Ben drew in a breath and held it for a moment while he gathered his courage. Then he let it out, and a combination of resignation and apology hung in his voice. “Because the other room is Maya’s.”

  “What?” his parents asked in unison.

  “Maybe you should both sit down,” Ben suggested, motioning to the couch across from Maya.

  “I think I may need to sit down for this,” his mother said and lowered herself onto the sofa.

  “Why didn’t you tell us Maya was here?” His father dropped the suitcase where he stood, not moving to sit down until his wife reached for his hand and gently tugged on it so he would take a seat beside her.

  Jane put a hand on her husband’s arm before she calmly asked, “Why is Maya staying here?”

  “It’s kind of a long story.” Ben sat beside Maya, feeling like he was forming a needed alliance before he started the winding explanation of the events that had brought them to this point.

  His parents listened without comment as Ben explained Maya’s health issues and the reality that the clinical trial was giving her a new chance at life.

  He was trying to gather his nerve to tell them the rest when his mother interrupted. “That’s admirable that you want to help, Ben, but that doesn’t change the fact that, eventually, someone will find out Maya is here, especially if you’re expecting her to stay for the next several months. How are you going to handle it when the story breaks that the man who swore to live by high moral standards is living with a woman he isn’t married to?”

  “Do you have any idea what the press could do to your reputation if anyone found out Maya is staying here?” Steve asked. “No one is going to believe the separate-bedrooms story.”

  “If a story breaks, we’ll issue a statement telling everyone we’re married.”

  “Ben, you can’t just go tell someone you’re married. Those reporters can be relentless. They’ll check to see if it’s true.”

  “I know.” Ben drew a deep breath again and blew it out. “But it is true.”

  Steve shook his head. “What’s true?”

  “Maya and I are married.”

  Stunned silence followed for several long seconds. Then both of his parents started talking at once.

  “You’re married?” his mother asked i
ncredulously.

  “How could you do this without even talking to us?” his father demanded.

  “We didn’t really have a choice,” Ben started. Then, seeing confusion and accusation in his parents’ eyes, he quickly added, “We’re only married in the legal sense. We’re really just roommates, which is why we have separate bedrooms.”

  “I’m completely confused.” Jane pressed a hand against her right temple. “I thought you said you had a girlfriend.”

  “No, I said I had started going out with someone here in DC.”

  “You clearly didn’t say you started going out with your wife,” his mother countered. “And how could you not have a choice about getting married?”

  Maya spoke, her voice quiet and apologetic. “Ben was protecting me.”

  “Protecting you from what?”

  “Maya’s family was trying to force her to move back to India to marry someone else.”

  “So you married her before they had the chance? Ben, there had to be another way. She could have applied for some kind of protected status with immigration.”

  “Actually, I hadn’t really thought about that before, but still, that process can take months. If Maya is forced to drop out of this clinical trial, the doctors don’t think she’ll have another chance at treatment.”

  His parents were quiet for a moment, and then Steve said, “Maya, would you mind if we speak to Ben alone for a few minutes?”

  “No, of course not.” Maya shifted forward and used both hands to push herself up to a stand. Then she slipped into her bedroom.

  As soon as the door closed, Steve turned to Ben and said, “I don’t understand how you could do something like this. Your whole life we’ve taught you that marriage is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, and here you’ve jumped into it on a whim.”

  Ben stiffened. “It wasn’t a whim.”

  “Do you love her?”

  Uncomfortable with his father’s question, Ben asked one of his own. “Do you believe that God answers prayers?”